Fighting-Machine
The Tripod Fighting Machines, simply tripods or fighting machines, were the main weapons the Martians used when they attempted to conquer Earth. Design and Function The tripods are assembled in the Martian pits by Handling Machines before activation and each tripod posesses an unspecified number of tentacles, one of which can retract into the tripod when its primary weapon, the Heat Ray, is not in use. The tentacles are also able to hold a Black Smoke Chemical Launcher. The head is described as a hood that holds the Martian pilot. The head can turn in any direction. The tripod as a whole appears as if it is made from a substance similar to aluminum. On the back of each tripod is what looks like a metal fishing net, which they use to hold humans that they capture with their tentacles. Tripods In Other Media In the movies, the tripods have seen many designs. George Pal's The War of the Worlds In the 1953 adaptation of the War Of The Worlds by renown sci-fi director George Pal, models resembling Manta Rays with a Heat Ray "Swan-Neck" were used to portray the Tripod Fighting Machines. These machines hovered in the air like a spaceship. There are three electromagnetic Legs only visible at the start of the film because the film-producers deemed the one million volts needed to create the effect was too dangerous. George Pal's Machine boasted two different weapons, including two wingtip mounted "skeleton beams and a Swan neck Heat-Ray. It also has a magnetic energy shield to protect the machine from enemy fire. This shield was powerful enough to withstand the effect of the atom bomb Like Steven Spielberg's Tripod Design, George Pal's so called Manta-Machine had a sort of "Electronic Eye", used to scout inside derelict buildings. Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds The most recent film adaptation of War of the Worlds features an amazing tripod design. It is shaped like a cuttlefish, has 18 tentacles, two "heat rays" that disintegrate humans, headlights for "eyes", rubbery/tentacle legs and two baskets for storing humans. It is evidently taller than any other adaptation (almost three times taller than the original). In this adaptation, the tripods have been waiting beneath under the ground for countless years to be activated by the returning aliens. It has a camera-like probe for at least one tentacle. It's feet have three long "toes" extending from the "ankles". The sound it emits is very similar to the "Ulla" of the book. The Steven Spielberg Tripods also have a form of energy shield like George Pal's 1953 Martian Warship. They also had sprays on their sides used to fertilize the Red Weed using human blood. Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds'' Perhaps the most iconic version of the Tripod is the Jeff Wayne's Musical version of the War of the Worlds. This is the first Tripod design not to include a storage basket (which was placed instead on the Handling Machine). It's weapons include two black smoke launchers and one socket joined Heat Ray in the cupola of the hood. it is also the most chunky and heavily armored design; although because the cockpit is immobile, one would believe it to be it is less maneuverable. After the death of the martians; a red synthetic is pulled out of the open hood by crows. the Tripod has a sort of "war cry", a disturbing trumpet of "Ulla", identical to the note cried by the original Tripods when in pain. Pendragon Pictures' H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds Pendragon's Tripods are silver, with a cockpit and a retractile heat-ray. It has four chain-link tentacles, 3 articulate legs and a basket for storing humans. Instead of emitting the famous "Ulla" cry, it screeches a high-pitched howl. Scary Movie Four In the parody fim Scary Movie Four, the film uses refrences to Spielberg's version of the movie. In the film, the TriPod is shaped like a giant iPod, the pun being the similarity between iPod and Tripod. Jake Ebert's War of the Worlds The most recent film adaptation of War of the Worlds features an amazing tripod design shape as a Cube for floating same as Vogon Spaceship. made by Ragdoll Productions and Allied Filmmakers and Released by Walt Disney Pictures and Paramount Pictures, covering the Blue Sky, Martians in the Sky, Martians on Earth, Came to Earth, Released on December 20, 2008, it's a B movie. David Michael Latt's War of the Worlds Latt's Tripod has an amazing deisgn.His tripods are crab-like Six leged Walkers and tripods simalar to spielberg's tripod but it's heat ray is on the oppisitte side. Martin Bower's (aborted) Photo Novel Martin Bower has created a design that s number of WOW enthusiests have desribed as the best version of the Martian Tripod (accurate to the book) See also *Heat Ray *Black Smoke External links *Wikipedia:Tripod *http://drzeus.best.vwh.net/wotw/other/gait/ Category:Martian Machines